by Kierra Quinn
“I was joking. I didn’t expect you to be so agreeable. Quite frankly, I expected you to tell me to go out in the snow and find my own breakfast.”
She leaned in close to him. “You shopped for me, helped me when I was sick, and rescued me in the middle of the blizzard. Making you whatever you want for breakfast is the least I can do.”
He was so very close to her, and the look in his eyes told her he wanted this kiss as much as she did. His breath tickled her upper lip. Just before they touched, a shrill ring pierced the silence. Tess rocked backward, and Lukas looked down at his phone.
“I should get this,” he said.
“And I should go find the bacon.”
“If there isn’t any in there, check the freezer in the basement.”
“Okay.” She stood and moved away from him, her heart racing. This situation was new and unprecedented for her. She wasn’t used to having guys chase after her, and she wasn’t quite sure how it was supposed to work. No, she amended that thought. Guys chased after her all the time. They just didn’t like to hang around once they caught her. Guys were always after her body, and so they moved fast and left her when they got bored.
Lukas, though, he was taking his time and seemed to be enjoying that. He didn’t push her when she wasn’t ready. It was refreshing and scary at the same time. It unsettled her. She had no idea what to expect from him next.
She dug through the fridge and eventually found the bacon and eggs. She found a frying pan and put in several slices. Her phone rang while she was searching for tongs to flip the bacon.
“Hello,” she said while digging through a drawer.
“Hey, dear, I figured you weren’t on the phone tree, so I thought I’d better check in on you. I’m sure Lukas has as well, but I wanted to be safe.” Marie was a sweetie. Tess felt so cared for here.
“Yeah, I’m at Lukas’s house. My fireplace busted in the middle of the night, so I stayed here.”
“Oh.” Marie paused for a second. “That was nice of him. You two have some fun?”
“Marie! What? No! Why would you ask me something like that?”
“We’re friends, and you need a good friend. Besides he likes you, and you like him. It makes sense.”
“No. Just no.”
“Protesting a little too much, dear.” Marie chuckled.
Tess blushed so hard the tips of her ears burned. Thank goodness Lukas was in the living room.
“Well, from the looks of things, you’ll be staying there for a few days at least, so make sure you use protection.”
“Marie. Seriously.” Then Tess grinned. “Though, it wouldn’t matter anyway, would it?”
“No, I guess it wouldn’t.” Marie laughed again. “Have fun, whatever you get up too. I’ll let Doc know you’re safe. He said to tell you school is cancelled tomorrow and likely all week.”
“Okay. Thanks for letting me know. You guys take care of yourselves. Let us know if you need anything.”
“You too, sweetie.”
Tess hung up the phone, and it immediately rang again. Sara Chambers. Tess smiled. At least she wouldn’t ask about her love life. This phone tree thing was pretty nice.
The next call came just as quickly. These people didn’t mess around. She glanced at her phone. Her mother. She probably heard about the blizzard.
She answered. “Hey, Mom.”
“Six feet of snow. Six. You’re tall but even that will be over your head. Are you even alive?”
“I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”
“What’s it like?”
“Well, my house is covered, and the power is out, but it’s beautiful in a strange way. When the snow dies down, I’ll send you some pictures.”
“It smells amazing in here,” Lukas said as he walked into the kitchen. Tess turned the bacon and smiled.
“Is that a man’s voice I hear? Seriously, Tess. I thought you’d outgrown sleeping with strangers.”
Tess’s stomach grew cold.
“Yeah, Mom. It was a blizzard, and I thought ‘hmm, I’m going to be stuck at home for a few days, better find someone to screw to pass the time.’”
“Tess, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Yeah, you did. For what it’s worth, my heater stopped working in my house, so I’m staying with my landlord. As a thank you, I’m making him breakfast, which I’m going to burn if I don’t get off the phone. I’ll talk to you later.”
Tess hung up the phone and wouldn’t look at Lukas. She turned the bacon over and over in the pan and blinked away the tears that were forming. She had no doubt she made the right decision by coming to Michigan.
Lukas moved behind her and placed his hand on her back.
“Tess, you okay?”
She sniffed back the tears. “Yeah, I’m fine. My mom thinks I’m a slut. Nothing new there.”
She knew what he was going to say. It’s what her friends said when she whined about the way her mom talked to her. She doesn’t mean it. She’s just doesn’t know how to say it right. Give her a break.
But Lukas didn’t say any of those things. Instead, he said, “It doesn’t matter what she thinks. You’re not.”
She spun on him. “How the hell do you know that? You know nothing about me.”
Lukas moved around the other side of the bar so he wasn’t standing so close to her. She needed some space. He watched her flip the bacon with a vengeance. Eventually she slid it onto a plate and grabbed the eggs out of the fridge.
“How do you like your eggs?” she finally asked.
“Over easy.”
She nodded and cracked an egg into the sizzling grease.
“I know a lot about you,” he said, keeping his voice quiet and steady. He wanted her to hear him. There was some history there, and it was important to him that she saw herself the way he did. “I know you are a fantastic teacher because Doc will not shut up about you. You are good with animals. You return favors with favors without having to be asked. When you think you’ve done something wrong, you do everything you can to make it up.”
She looked at him with a quizzical expression.
“The brownies,” he explained.
“Oh, yeah, I owe you way more than brownies for that one.”
“No, you don’t. Look, you could’ve made me cookies or given me a gift card or something but you went out of your way to find out what I liked. No one makes brownies with chocolate chips and frosting. Well, no one but me. You liked them though, didn’t you?”
She grinned. “Yeah, they were pretty amazing.”
“You also had ample opportunities to sleep with me, and you refrained.”
She put the bacon and eggs on a plate and slid it over to him. “I’m going to pass on the pancakes. Let’s save those for tomorrow.”
“Thanks. I like my toast super dark.”
She nodded and put four slices of bread into the toaster. She hadn’t responded to anything he said.
He thought for a minute while he was chewing and then continued. “You also dress in a way that drives me crazy, and yet I’ve never seen your cleavage. You are many things, Tess, but a slut is not one of them.”
What he wanted to do in that moment was climb across the counter and kiss the bejesus out of her. But that wouldn’t be appropriate. It would blow holes in all of his arguments.
“Thank you. I wish you could say those things to my mom.”
He held his hand out. “Give me your phone. I’ll call her right now.”
Tess grinned. “Thanks, but I think I’ll handle her myself.”
She went to grab the toast and sighed. “No power.” She held out the bread, still completely untoasted. “I can try the oven.”
“No, don’t worry about it. We have plenty of food.”
She put food on her own plate and moved to sit next to him.
“Aside from last night, when exactly could I have slept with you? I believe you said ‘ample opportunities.’” The tips of her ears were the most adorable shade of red.
Lukas smiled. “All you had to do was say the word, sweetie, and I would have you in bed faster than you can say sex.”
She coughed.
“Though, I expect the closest you ever got was when you answered the door wearing your robe. Wait, no, it was the night you came over here for dinner. Or maybe it was last night. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to keep my hands off you?”
She frowned. “But you never made any moves. You know if you pushed, even slightly during any of those moments, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”
“I disagree. I put the choice in your hands, and I haven’t even gotten a kiss yet.”
Today he’d find a way. Since they’d be spending the next few days together, they might as well enjoy it.
She blinked at him, completely unaware of the affect she had on him. He leaned over, giving her the opportunity. If she gave an inch, she was his. He’d snap her up into his lap in seconds.
But the moment passed. She stood and grabbed his plate. He stopped her.
“I’ll do the dishes. You’ve done enough this morning.” She handed him the plates and sat down.
“So what do you want to do today?” he asked her, knowing full well she wouldn’t have a good answer.
“Besides making brownies, I have no idea. What do you normally do on days when you can’t leave the house?”
“Mostly projects I haven’t had time for. But with no electricity, none of those are good options. What do you like to do in your downtime?”
Tess shrugged. “Watch movies, read books, take walks, swim.”
“What do you like to read?”
“Just about anything. I usually pick my books from the New York Times bestseller lists. It’s pretty diverse. Do you read?”
“Not as much as I’d like to. But reading seems like a pretty isolated activity. I was trying to come up with stuff we could do together.”
“My dad used to read to us all the time. We loved it. We could read out loud to each other.”
He frowned. He was hoping to play cards or board games and just talk about each other, pull her out of her shell. He wanted to know everything about her.
“Do you like to play games?” he asked her.
“Yeah, sometimes.”
“Well then, I guess we know what we are doing today. Reading books and playing games. Hopefully the power will come on before the day ends, and you can sleep in your own room.” Though he desperately wished the opposite.
She snorted. “You enjoyed having me in your bed. Admit it.”
He put the dishes in the dishwasher and moved around the counter. “Of course I enjoyed it. But I’d rather have you there by choice and not necessity.”
She sucked in a breath, but she didn’t make that move toward him. “Let’s go see what kind of games you have.”
He grabbed a flashlight, led her upstairs, and opened the door to the library. He flung open the curtains and bright white snow light flooded the room. Tess just stared.
“This is amazing.”
The library was floor to ceiling bookshelves. Books lined all of the shelves, but a few contained board games. During the summer months, his family spent Sunday afternoons playing games.
Tess scanned the bookshelf. “Should we read a classic or something more modern?”
“Something that won’t cause us to fall asleep.”
She plucked a book off a shelf. “Harry Potter?”
“I’ve never read that one.”
She gaped at him. “You’ve never read Harry Potter?”
He shook his head. “I just haven’t had time.”
“Then why do you have them all?”
“Because I like collecting books. Those are first editions.” Quite frankly, he didn’t want to read Harry Potter. It didn’t sound romantic enough. If they were going to spend all day reading books, there needed to be something that would lead to their first kiss.
She creased her eyebrows.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing, that’s just odd.”
“Why don’t you pick something shorter so we can finish it today? I have all the Jane Austen first editions as well. Isn’t Persuasion on the shorter side?”
“Have you read them?” she asked.
“What, Jane Austen? Of course.”
“You’ve read Jane Austen but not Harry Potter. I’m disappointed.”
“I’ll tell you what. Let’s read Persuasion together, and I’ll read Harry Potter on my own.”
She shrugged and went on the hunt for the Jane Austen books. She found them and plucked out the book.
“What kind of games do you like to play?” Lukas asked her.
She looked at the shelf. “I’m pretty good at strategy games like Settlers or Carcassonne.”
She just impressed the hell out of him. He pointed at the shelves. “Pick anything.”
“We’ve got all day right?”
He nodded.
“Let’s play Risk. I’ve never actually played that game before, and I’ve always wanted to.”
They took their treasures down into the living room, and Tess set the book down.
“First, brownies. You want to help me?”
Tess had no idea what on earth she was doing. She liked Lukas far more than she should and hearing that she had the same effect on him made her skin tingle. He escaped into the pantry while she dug around his cupboards for a bowl and pan. She was grateful both his stove and oven were gas so they could still cook.
He came back with the box of brownies, oil, and chocolate chips. She poured the ingredients in and then handed him the bowl to mix. She greased the pan. He was quiet, and she wondered what was going on his head. Then she remembered that he was pretty open, so she decided to just ask.
“You’re pretty quiet. Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah, just thinking. I’m enjoying our time together and don’t want to screw this up.”
Her heart sped up. He had no idea she was terrified of the same thing.
“What makes you think you’re going to screw it up?” she asked, trying to keep her breathing even and calm. She didn’t want to give away how unsettled he made her.
“Because I screwed up every relationship I’ve ever been in.”
Tess frowned. “How?”
“A bunch of different ways, but I’m trying hard not to do that with you.”
“We’re not in a relationship.”
“Yet.” He grinned and stuck his finger in the batter.
“Hey,” she said. “Keep your hands out of the brownies. That’s gross.”
“I’m making sure it’s ready.”
He held his finger, dripping with brownie batter, over the bowl.
Tess recovered quickly. She didn’t want him to think she was super uptight.
“Who says you get to test it? Shouldn’t that be me?”
He shrugged. “Okay.” He held his finger out to her. She knew this moment would be the tipping point if she chose to take it. She liked the give and take they had. Was she ready to move past that?
“Hurry up, woman. It’s going to drip on the floor.”
Maybe she was.
She licked the batter off his finger, and he gasped. Then, she took a chance and licked more off the other side of his finger. Every part of her body buzzed in anticipation, wondering how he would react
He licked the rest of the batter off his finger. Then he took a step closer to her. “So what do you think? Ready or not?”
“Ready,” she squeaked. This was killing her.
“Says you. What if I think otherwise?”
He picked up the bowl and handed it to her. “My turn.”
She thought about sticking her finger in there, but chickened out at the last minute. She pulled out the spoon and made like she was going to feed him. But at the last minute she put the spoon in her own mouth, making sure to smear some on her upper lip. She hoped he understood what she wanted.
“So this
is how it’s going to be?”
She dropped the spoon into the bowl and met his eyes. He moved in closer and gently licked the batter off her lip.
“Yep, ready,” he said, his eyes dancing. “But maybe I should make sure.”
Without hesitation he crushed his lips against hers. She responded eagerly and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her close, and their lips moved furiously against one another. His hands on her waist and he pulled her tight against him. She slid her hands into his hair like she wanted to do since she first saw him in the airport. After what seemed like ages, he pulled back. He kept his arms around her though.
“We should put those in the oven.”
Tess nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak. This was uncharted territory for her. Normally a kiss like that led straight to bed, but Lukas didn’t seem to be in any hurry.
She poured the batter into the pan while he trailed kisses along the back of her neck.
“You know, if you keep doing that, I’m going to drop the pan, and then we won’t have any brownies.”
“Sorry. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”
“I know. Let me get this in the oven, and you can continue.”
He moved away from her, but his eyes never left her.
With shaking hands she finally got the pan into the oven. She turned around and met his eyes. She didn’t know what to say or how to act.
“You wanna go into the living room?” he asked.
“Sure. But we can’t let them burn.”
“We won’t.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living room. Once there, he handed her the book. “Here, let’s read.”
She took the book, disappointed. She was hoping for some more kissing time. He must’ve seen something in her eyes because he leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on her lips.
“I could get used to this,” he said.
“Me too.”
Dio groaned and rolled over in her bed by the fire. Tess smiled and sat on one side of the couch, ready to dive into Jane Austen. A nice romantic choice. Then he pulled her feet into his lap. She almost jerked them back. He winked at her.
